Proving the case for heritage with Leonard Cheshire Disability

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Who says heritage doesn't work?

Gushing over the story behind your organisation is considered, by many, to be the ultimate fundraising self-destruct button. But when Leonard Cheshire Disability approached us about an inserts campaign, we couldn’t get the idea out of our heads.

The biography of Leonard Cheshire – the man behind the charity – is inspiring and tragic in equal measures. From earning his stripes as one of the legendary Dambusters, to opening his own home to disabled veterans, to living with a disability himself, Leonard embodied the values that his organisation still stands for today.

We wanted to do his story the justice it deserved. The question was, how could we do that, and still smash our targets?

Why was heritage the answer?

Leonard Cheshire Disability, the organisation that continues Leonard Cheshire’s name, has a fantastic mission statement: to conquer the injustice faced daily by people with disabilities, all around the world. But the organisation was having a tough time expressing this objective, along with their values and, indeed, their history.

We posited the idea to create a letter that would tell Leonard's story, with a fundraising twist. Our story would connect Leonard Cheshire’s personal philosophy with those of the organisation, to offer new supporters a comforting, aspirational human connection.

Here’s what we proved

Heritage does work (if executed right). The absence of a case study coupled with an intriguing outer encouraged a high response rate, while strategic placements of our inserts in leading magazines contributed to an overwhelmingly high income for this campaign.